


A Story Worth Telling

by StanleyQuinn



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: M/M, Pre-Slash, and also just sort of hopeless, but only tiny ones, includes novelization elements, poe is a hopeless romantic, set during the film, slightly post film
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-05
Updated: 2016-03-05
Packaged: 2018-05-24 22:23:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,365
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6168925
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StanleyQuinn/pseuds/StanleyQuinn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>From the prompt: "Poe tells everyone about being rescued by a handsome Stormtrooper. Everyone."</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Story Worth Telling

"You wanna tell me what the hell you think you're doing, hopping off a Blarina's freighter?  Not to mention hailing down my personal vessel just hours after I signed off on your official 'missing presumed dead' notice?" General Leia Organa demands, but Poe can see the smile tugging at the corners of her lips, so he shakes his head to make his hair fall across his forehead and gives her his best rakish smile.

 

"Never bet against a Yavinnian when death is on the line," Poe quips back, and to his surprise, she actually pulls him into a hug.  It's awkward; for all of Poe's hero worship and her maternal qualities, she's never been one to break protocol and hug one of her soldiers.  This time, it seems she must really have been convinced he was dead.

 

"The whole of the First Order is hunting the galaxy for that idiot droid of yours, but there's been no bounty out for you," the General informs him, which explains a lot about why she'd been willing to believe he was dead.  BB-8 certainly had to believe it too if she'd gone on from Jakku without him.  "I assume BB-8 has the data that we need to find Luke?"

 

"Yes, ma'am," Poe confirms. "Seemed safer with her than me at the time."

 

"Mm, so in other words, it was a classic Dameron move - you were about to do something really stupid but spared a second to be smart?" She's smirking, like she doesn't believe he even put a second's worth of smarts into his plan.  He'd be insulted, if she didn't know him so well.

 

"I think we still call that a classic Bey move," Poe replies.  "My dad was the sensible one."

 

"Fair enough," Leia's smile is back.  "So what was worth all that?"

 

"Took a shot at Kylo Ren," he announces, and that has her attention.

 

"He was there?" She grabs hold of his arm and tugs him toward her office.  "You shot him?"

 

He waits until she's pulled him behind the closed door of her office.  There are things he knows, reasons for her urgency, which are classified above the clearance of some of the staff in the hall.  "Shot was dead mid-air before it made it halfway to him.  The rest... It's not pleasant," he warns her, knees wobbling while he determinedly refuses to sit before the General sits down at her desk and gestures to the chair on the opposite side of the desk. 

 

"So, first things first, per mandatory reporting protocols, you should be informed that I was captured and held prisoner.  During that time, the Force was used against me, however, I have been free and clear of influence for just over one standard day now."  He keeps his tone bland, repeating the procedural words by rote, but he knows there's no fooling Leia Organa.  The ragged edges of his psyche are probably like blaring alarms to her Force training.  The General may not be a full on Jedi warrior, but she's got skills.  Poe's never sure if he counts himself as lucky or unlucky to be among those who have seen them.

 

"May I?" she asks, rising and extending a hand toward his face.  Poe hesitates, then breathes deeply, reminding himself that she's done this before.  Putting those memories into sharp contrast with what Kylo Ren did helps calm him and allows him to nod, accepting her touch.  

 

The memories of the initial torture slide out easily. Poe has a high tolerance for pain, and the Stormtrooper that Kylo Ren had sent to soften him up was hardly a pro.  It gets harder when she turns to Kylo Ren ransacking his mind, but somehow she's also soothing the razor sharp edges of the memories, softening their impact a little as she leaves one behind and moves on to the next.  She stops combing the memories once Kylo Ren leaves the cell. Leia's not one to dig further than she needs; she'll read the rest in his full report anyway. 

 

Poe gasps as her presence leaves his mind, surprised how much better he feels after her attempts at soothing him. "You didn't have to..." he starts to say, stopping when she holds up a hand.

 

"Of course I did," she replies, and he knows that tone all too well.  Sometimes there's no arguing with the General.  "For what it's worth, I apologize for what he did."

 

"Hey, you're not to blame for anything he does," Poe shoots back fiercely.  

 

"Anything else urgent I should be made aware of prior to your formal report?" Leia asks, and Poe sits forward, knowing she can probably feel the grief coming off him now.  

 

"I don't think it's urgent, but interesting.  Remember a few years back, you thought the First Order's Stormtroopers might not be clones, or not strictly clones any longer?"

 

"If I recall, you weren't a fan of that theory," Leia replies. "Something about only being able to empty out the heads of clones enough to turn them into troopers."

 

"Yeah, well, one of them turned on the First Order and rescued me, helped me escape."  Poe sits back, examining the blood dried and caked between his fingers from his adventure.  

 

"He could still be a clone of some sort," she tells him, voice gentle.

 

He huffs out a laugh.  "We'd have heard about clones that look like he did under that helmet," Poe replies.  "Took it off when he was helping me plan out our escape, and kriff, you would not believe this guy's eyes, General."

 

She laughs, but something on her face tells him she knows he's using humor to keep himself together.  "Anyway, he was a good shot, too.  Took out a couple of batteries from the side of the cruiser even with me flipping that TIE fighter like... shit, I don't think I've ever flown that crazy."

 

"I'm sure you have," she says, humor creeping into her voice.

 

"They don't have names," Poe tells her.  "The not-clones-troopers.  He gave me a kriffing serial number, General."

 

She looks all too knowing now, leaning forward on her desk and peering at him over folded hands.  "Ahh, dammit, Poe, did you give him a name?"

 

"Finn," he grins helplessly, shrugging.  "We had a great escape run, then we took a hit heading back in to Jakku.  By the time I came to, I couldn't find any trace of the fighter wreckage or Finn.  Can't say for sure he didn't make it, but..."

 

"I understand," the General replies, gaze focused.  "What's your feel for the situation?  Was your Finn an anomaly, or should we start considering options for sowing dissent from within?"

 

It staggers him how much that hurts, hearing her call him 'his Finn' but also referring to him in the past tense.  Part of him knows he's overly attached to the romanticism of it all.  His unlikely rescuer, arriving on the heels of his torture, but his weary mind isn't really interested in logic.  "I'm not sure, to be honest," he admits.  "It may have just been the perfect storm of events.  Not sure that even if he isn't the only Stormtrooper with doubts in the ranks that there'd be enough of them that sending someone in wouldn't quickly become a suicide mission.  Too many unknowns, General."

 

"Agreed."  She sits back, looking thoughtful.  "Put a full description of your ex-trooper into our persons of interest database when you have a chance, Commander.  I know it's not likely he survived, but if he did, it sounds like we could certainly use his help."

 

"Thank you, General," Poe replies.

 

"We've got ears out about BB-8, but if you expect to fly out when we find her, then you need to be cleared by medical, and grab a meal and a bit of rack time before I allow it," she warns him.  "You have time.  We're jumping back to D'Qar. I really shouldn't have even come to collect you in a diplomatic vessel."

 

"Glad you did," Poe replies as he stands, taking her proffered hand.  "It'd have taken me a week in that Blarina's kriffing derelict freighter to make it to one of our safe drops."

 

She holds onto his hand for a moment too long, something strange passing over her face for a moment, then she's just the general again.  "Ma'am?" he asks, and she offers a wan smile in return.

 

"Just a feeling," she tells him.  "Like the galaxy is holding its breath. Like it's on the brink of something and about to fall over that edge.  Thank you, Commander.  I'm looking forward to your full report."

 

Medical isn't as bad as it would have been on D'Qar, Poe decides.  The droids there are too used to his antics and have developed an irrational dislike for him, given that he's always out of their way as quickly as he can manage to be.  He regales a disbelieving human soldier with medic training with tales of his rescue by reformed Stormtrooper, as she stitches up his head wound with three quick stitches, checks him for concussion, then sends him on his way with orders to eat and sleep.  Poe suspects his tale might have been the reason she spends twice as long on his concussion examination as usual.  

 

He scoops some food up in the galley and finds one of the guest berths, laying down and nibbling on rations while he rests.  He knows he needs real sleep, but his mind is too full of unpleasant things and that leads to nightmares.  He lets his mind drift to Finn and tries to run through old Force prayers his father had taught him.  He doesn't remember half the words and keeps mentally filling in the blanks with nonsensical or dirty rhymes, but in the end, it does the trick.  He drifts off enough that he'll be able to look the general in the eye and tell her he followed her orders to get some sleep. 

 

When they dock at the base on D'Qar, he checks out with the general quickly, hoping that keeping it short will make her more likely to send him on his way.  The eye roll she gives him tells him he didn't quite get away with it, but she's letting him slide through on technicalities, given the circumstances.  

 

He does his report verbally, since that takes half the time it would take to type it, even though he hates recording himself.  He uploads it to the mainframe, then submits his person of interest report on Finn.  That one takes a few tries, because he can't figure out nearly enough information to put in, and he hates entering the serial number.  He finally gives up and saves it, deciding he'll requisition some art supplies and add a drawing later.  He's a good enough artist that command has used him to draw other's descriptions for the database before, and his words are failing to capture Finn in any recognizable way.  Paperwork done, he heads for his favorite place on the base.

 

The hangar is surprisingly quiet when Poe gets down there, but it isn't the comfort he was hoping for.  He heads for the droid bay, knowing if he has to fly his X-wing out to go after BB-8, he'll need the mods for a temporary R5 co-pilot.  Kare and Iolo are both out on an undercover mission, which means their droids are both on down time for the time being, and both are just as attached to the little BB unit as he is. He's not allowed out on that sort of undercover mission, with face to face meetings with bad guys, something about his terrible poker face and inability to lie. Unfortunately his two best friends excel in those sorts of missions.

 

He's just finishing hooking up temporary mods under the watchful eye of Iolo's droid, R5-D4, who had cheerfully instructed Poe through exactly what mods he needed done, when Blue Squadron starts filtering in.  Ello claps his shoulder, hanging on for a long moment, which is a stunning display of emotion from the normally staid pilot.  Snap has him up in a bear hug before Poe is even fully aware of the other man.  Jess comes in last, punching him in the arm.  "What the hell is this rumor about you getting saved by a handsome Stormtrooper?"

 

"Wow, Commander," Snap whistles. "Everyone says you're a smooth mother fracker, but winning over a Stormtrooper?  That's gotta be worth some sort of medal."

 

"All right, all right," Poe waves them off, feeling his cheeks heat already.  "The guy was ready and waiting to defect, he just needed a pilot."

 

"But was he handsome?" Jess asks, laughing when Poe flips her off.  "I gotta meet this guy."  Poe feels his shoulders slump as his spirits take a nose dive.

 

"He didn't make it," Snap says before Poe can find the words, and the other pilots go silent.  "Sorry, Commander."

 

"Thanks," Poe says softly, turning back to his X-Wing modifications.  

 

Jess nudges him a few moments later, and he turns, seeing that she's offered him a cup of her good tea. Most of her teas have some sort of health benefit, but taste like old socks. The good kind tastes like soft rigellian fruits and is more bracing than a cup of kaf.  He accepts it, and she makes a toasting gesture.  "Oh, right.  To Finn," he supplies, raising his cup, and the other pilots imitate his gesture. 

 

It's only an hour later that the General sounds the call out.  "Takodana," she announces to the pilots, who are scrambling to prep the fighters.  "Maz Kanata's.  Poe," she calls out.  "Report we got indicates BB-8 is intact."

 

Poe grins, a little of the worried knot in his chest loosening.  "Thanks," he calls back. 

 

Being back in the cockpit helps too. Poe's always felt at home, at ease, when he has flight controls under his fingertips.  "All right, Red Squadron, Blue Squadron, this is Black Leader.  Report in."

 

He listens to the steady roll of pilots reporting in, then signals back the flight path once they've all checked in.  "All right, ladies and gents, faint hearts never saved fair droids or something like that."  That gets laughter and a couple of whoops back over the comms.  "Let's go get my girl."

 

After the smooth grace of the TIE fighter, he expects his X-wing to feel a little slow and boxy, but flying has always come more naturally than walking to Poe.  His cluttered mind drops away and his focus is suddenly razor sharp.  They come out of hyperspace above Takodana, and Poe curses as the readings filter in quickly.

 

"All right, they've got company at Maz's," he calls out.  "Squadron leaders, take your teams and take the atmo route above the bar, keep any more support from coming in.  Blue 2 and 3, you're with me.  We're going in over the lake."

 

"Copy that, boss, looks like it's time for us to be big damn heroes down there," Snap calls out, and Poe grins.  Sure enough, the troopers appear to be rounding people up, and their timing couldn't be better.  He aims his first shot to the rocks, knocking as many troops off their feet as he can to allow the hostages to scatter away, then loops back in, focusing on clusters of white helmets as he pulls his black X-wing fighter in tighter turns and better shots than he's probably ever managed. 

 

"Black leader, we've got lightsaber readings down there," Jess reports to him, and Poe nods.

 

"Looks like Kylo Ren might be on the surface," he agrees, but he can't focus on that.  "Let's get these troopers off the ground fighters, maybe one of them can get a lucky shot."

 

"Dameron, I've got more than one reading down there, and my droid swears one of those signatures matches the database for one of Skywalker's old blades," Jess shouts back, and Poe double checks quickly, making sure they’re on a closed channel.  

 

"Jess, his blade doesn't mean the Jedi himself is there," Poe reminds her.  "In fact, if Kylo Ren has it, it could be a very bad thing!  Focus on the goal, we'll sort the details out later."

 

The retreat of the First Order forces is fast, too fast, and Poe suspects they must have taken BB-8 and accomplished their goal.  The fighters pursue to the hyperspace jump point, but not further.  The comms are filling fast with chatter about the super weapon that had been unleashed on the Hosnian System during their flight in as they head back to base, and he knows his pilots need to regroup and process, not pursue further now.  He orders the teams back in to D'Qar at the General's signal, sending a pair from Red Squadron out to scout and make sure there's no enemy fighters in pursuit.  

 

"Holy cow," he hears Snap over the open comm just after they land, before he signs off the comms.  "I think that hunk of junk setting down over there is the Millennium Falcon."  Poe makes sure his comms are turned off before he sighs.  The Millennium Falcon can only mean one person is back, and saying he isn't General Solo's biggest fan is something of an understatement.  But it could mean Chewie's back too, and he does like the Wookie.  Everyone likes the Wookie.

 

He raises the canopy, shooting a grin back at R5-D4 as a tech starts unloading him.  "Thanks for the assist, buddy," he calls to the droid, before swinging his legs out so he can scramble down the ladder.  He gets a series of happy beeps and whirs in reply as he jumps down, handing his helmet and log over to a waiting technician.  His head jerks up when the beeps and whirs continue, excited and shouting out his name designation.  

 

BB-8 streaks across the tarmac rolling up and slamming hard metal against his knee as he kneels down to rub hands over the droid's head.  "Look at you, you made it!" he exclaims, barely able to keep up with the binary that's spewing out of her at breakneck speed.  He catches something about his jacket, then a pair of new name designations he'll have to learn, then something about a former Stormtrooper.  "Wait, Finn?  You mean, Finn?" he interrupts her. 

 

She makes a noise of irritation, then replies with an affirmative noise, repeating one of the previous binary designations, then whirling her head in the direction of the Millennium Falcon.  He looks in the direction she indicates and swears he feels his heart drop through his stomach.   

 

Finn looks just as stricken, before yelling out, "Poe?  Poe Dameron?" It gives Poe the wherewithal to find his feet again and take off running across the tarmac, and, he notices, catches the attention of half a dozen of his pilots.

 

He's pretty sure he's never cared less.  "Finn!" he shouts back.  

 

"You're alive!" Finn says, and then they're hugging.  

 

"So are you," Poe replies, barely able to convince himself to break the embrace.  He finally settles for pulling back but keeping his hands on Finn.  "You completed my mission, Finn! Hey," he paused, recognizing the fabric under his fingertips.  "That's my jacket." BB-8's rambling is starting to make a little more sense now, and how his droid just happened to fall in with his missing rescuer is suddenly becoming clearer.  

 

Finn makes a move to remove the jacket, and Poe hangs on, shaking his head.  "No, no, no, keep it. It suits you."  And it does, he thinks, taking in how well it sits on Finn's shoulders. "You're a good man, Finn," Poe says finally, not sure how to get all his thanks out.

 

"Poe, I need your help," Finn says, and Poe falls in next to him, nodding.

 

"Anything, just ask," Poe insists.

 

"Kylo Ren took my friend, Rey."  BB-8 pipes in with the other new designation, and Poe nods, filing away that Rey had helped get the pair of them back to Poe.  He automatically likes her.  "We gotta get her back," Finn says, and Poe nods again.

 

"Come on," he tells them, heading for the General.  "General Organa," he greets her, standing ramrod straight and firing off a salute, even though she never insists on that level of formality.  "General Solo," he adds, not bothering to salute, and he can see the other man narrowing his eyes, obviously catching the intended slight.  Poe doesn't have patience for people who run from their loved ones when things get tough, and Solo reminds him a lot of his own father and the things Poe never wants to become.  "This is Finn, the former Stormtrooper I was telling you about."

 

"You're Finn?" Leia asks, looking impressed.  "And that was you I saw using my brother's lightsaber?"

 

Finn automatically pulls the lightsaber from his belt, offering it to her.  "Sorry, uh, General, sir.  Maz gave it to me, and, uh..."

 

"Oh for cryin' out loud," Solo rolls his eyes.

 

"Finn, these things have a way of finding exactly their way to where they are meant to be," General Organa reassures Finn, pressing the lightsaber back toward him.  "I suggest you continue to hold onto it for now.  From what Dameron's told me about you, I can't imagine anyone better to hold onto it for Luke."

 

Finn looks startled, turning back to Poe, who tries not to blush.  "Now," the General claps her hands together, looking expectant.  "What can I help you gentlemen with?"

 

Once things start moving toward attack, Poe finds he can strategize with his usual intense focus, probably because Finn never seems to stray far from him.  If he does move away, he moves back to Poe's side a moment later.  He still can't believe how lucky they've gotten, that they're both alive.  It's not helping his romanticism, but it helps that he doesn't seem to have romanticized Finn himself that much.  He really is amazing.

 

Finn walks him back to the launch area, and Jess smiles all too knowingly when Poe approaches.  "Hey," she greets Finn, offering him her hand.  "You must be Finn.  Poe's told us a lot about you."

 

"Liar, I told you the man was dead after saving my ass," Poe shoots back, which makes Finn grin. 

 

"Yeah, thanks for saving him," Jess says to Finn.  "We're sort of fond of our Commander."  Belying her words, Jess flips Poe off, then heads back to her X-Wing.

 

"You seem to have told a lot of people about me," Finn remarks quietly.  "It wasn't that amazing."

 

"I'd have been executed if you hadn't saved me," Poe reminds him bluntly.  "You tell it your way, I'm gonna make sure everyone knows you're actually a hero in my books, got it?" 

 

Finn looks conflicted, but finally nods.  "I've got to go help Solo load the Falcon," Finn tells him.  "Fly safe."

 

Poe nods, understanding that they're saying goodbye now, even if they still have time on the ground.  "Find your girl, and get yourself home safe," he tells Finn, then hugs him.

 

He watches Finn walk back toward the Falcon, as BB-8 rolls up.  She whistles a question, and he huffs out a laugh.  "No, BB-8, pretty sure the General was the only one I described him as good looking to."

 

BB-8 beeps a little too innocently, and Snap, passing them, overhears her and bellows out a loud laugh.  "Dameron, any of us with eyes could see that man is exactly your type, and you are hopelessly gone on him."

 

Poe scowls, shaking his head.  "I can't be hopelessly gone on someone I just met."

 

Snap pats his shoulder a little condescendingly.  "Boss, you know I'd never disagree with you, but you're a romantic.  Hopeless, through and through, and you don't get much more romantic than what you've been through.  You could be that gone."

 

"That sounds suspiciously like disagreeing with me," Poe replies, and his friend shrugs with sheepish grin.  "I used to have a reputation as a playboy," he groans, which has Snap cracking up.

 

"Boss, you are just too damn pretty not to have some sort of rep," the pilot jokes.  "Seriously, though?  Be careful."

 

"Always am," Poe sighs, heading for his own X-Wing.  

 

He makes a point to clap Finn on the shoulder when he passes him a few minutes later, figuring the friendly gesture can only help put to rest any whispers about the other man.  Finn still looks too serious and watches after him for a bit too long, and it occurs to Poe that Finn may have doubts about being able to get the shields down.  He half smiles to himself, because it seems like such a classic Bey move, as the general would say.  He'd have told them he could do it too, even if he'd only had a wing and prayer of actually doing it, as long as it meant he got to where he needed to be to save Finn. 

 

He doesn’t have much time to think about Finn after that, focusing on his pilots and the attack run.  “Anyone have eyes on the Falcon?” he asks after he’s sure he’s blown his target, mission complete. 

 

He can hear the general ordering the squadrons back in, but no one has yet confirmed a sighting of the Falcon.  He curses in his head, unable to believe what he’s about to do.  “I’m so sorry for this, sir,” he says before clicking on the comms, hoping the general will forgive him and not bust him back down to a Colonel or worse.  “General, with all due respect, we’re not leaving our friends behind.”

 

He’s surprised when his squadrons have his back, starting the scout of the rapidly decaying surface, but not so surprised when his comm unit clicks over to a private line.  “Poe. Stay if you need, but pull your team back before that thing goes critical.”

 

“Just need a few minutes, I have to be sure we cover their retreat if they fly off that thing,” Poe reassures her.  She’s used to his antics, so he’s surprised at her concern.  Her voice sounds odd over the comms.  “Is there something I need to know?”

 

“Just bring them home,” she tells him, the click over of the comms sounding oddly final.

 

Poe breathes a sigh of relief when he finally spots the Falcon leaving the rapidly disintegrating Starkiller Base.  First Order ships are flying off it too, but they’re far too concerned with fleeing to fight.  Poe rounds up his pilots and they form up around the Falcon, escorting it back in to D’Qar.

 

“We’ve got medical emergency,” a girl’s voice says over the comms, and Poe clicks on to the line and closes the other pilots out, just in case.

 

“Falcon pilot, this is Black Leader. If you’re piloting, I assume you’re talking about General Solo?”

 

“No,” she says, voice oddly cracking.  Poe assumes this must be Rey and experiences a strange sinking sensation in his core, suddenly suspecting what made the general sound so similarly distraught.  “Han… he didn’t make it.  Finn.  Finn’s injured.”

 

When they hit the ground, Poe shoves his flight records at the ground crew and leaves his X-Wing with them, something he never does.  Part of Poe wants to hang back, to meet the young woman who Finn and BB-8 are so enamored of.  The darker parts of his mind whisper about meeting the competition, but he pushes them aside, because he can see his jacket, seared and split, just over bone peeking through flesh and muscle.  No blood.

 

It turns his stomach.  Poe knows what a lightsaber wound looks like.  He follows the med team immediately.

 

It turns out he doesn't need to hang back in order to meet Rey.  She's there when he gets called from the med labs up to command, looking up hopefully when he enters.  "No more news yet," he says, before becoming aware that Rey isn't the only one looking to him for an update.  Every set of eyes in the room is looking at him.  "They...uh, there's definitely bone and nerve damage, they're going to graft some artificial pieces into his spine," he explains, for the benefit of those who haven't already heard it.  "And then bacta, for the burns, if he makes it through the implant process."

 

"Force be with him," General Organa murmurs, and several people in the room echo her, to Poe's surprise.

 

After the excitement of the maps matching and revealing a path, plans start getting made.  Poe sees Rey eyeing him as she weighs her options.  He's not sure why she's looking to him, so he just smiles encouragingly at her.  "I'll leave in two days," she finally agrees.  There isn't time for her to delay much, but Poe guesses she can't bear the thought of leaving Finn without giving him a chance to pull through.  Even giving her two days is asking a bit much of some of the Resistance leaders, but when Leia puts the seal of approval on it, they go silent.

 

"You're going to keep an eye on him, right?" Rey falls into step with him the moment the meeting breaks up, and Poe nods tersely.

 

"You don't have to ask," Poe replies gruffly.  "Your boyfriend will get through this."

 

"He's not my--" Rey replies automatically, jaw dropping a little in a reluctant smile when she looks at Poe. "So it is like that, huh?"

 

"Maybe," he agrees, shrugging at the way she grins.  Kriff, he likes her.  She's going to be phenomenal, and he should probably make sure she never meets Jess.  They'll be terrifying together.  "I'm not making plans, and I think there's a good chance he's head over heels for you, but for me, yeah, it's like that."

 

"Good," she declares.  "Win him over then. And me... well, is there a word for it in common?  On Jakku, we called it _viraparthen_?"

 

Poe's mind is blank, but BB-8 pipes in helpfully with a long series of whistles and beeps.  "Yes, that's it perfectly!" Rey exclaims.  

 

"Asexual, but not aromantic," Poe supplies helpfully.  "Doesn't mean you two couldn't have a strictly romantic relationship."

 

"He talked about you, you know.  A lot.  I’m really no competition for you when it comes to him.  The word handsome came up more than once," Rey looks too innocent, and Poe nearly walks into the wall.  "Get on that, will you?" she adds, slipping into the med labs.  

 

Poe decides to sit down outside and gather his thoughts for a bit.  BB-8 hoots at him, and Poe nods.  Met his match with these two indeed.

 

Rey departs to find Skywalker after two all too quiet days, and Poe returns to his duties, sitting with Finn when his time allows.  More than once, BB-8 shocks him awake, scolding him for falling asleep in the uncomfortable med bay chairs when he has a perfectly good bed waiting for him, chasing him out so the med staff, hopelessly charmed by Poe’s devotion, don’t have to.

 

It’s been almost two weeks since Rey left, and Poe’s about to drift off in his chair, hand outstretched so it stays wrapped around one of Finn’s, when suddenly the hand in his tightens around his fingers.  Poe shoots upright, smiling when Finn’s dark brown eyes meet his own.  “Hey, welcome back, buddy,” he says softly, dimly aware of the alarm on Finn’s monitoring equipment going off to let the med team know Finn is awake.

 

“Went somewhere?” Finn asks fuzzily.  Poe chuckles, bringing a hand up to smooth Finn’s forehead.

 

“Yeah, almost,” Poe confirms, voice shaking a little.  Finn makes a curious noise, but he doesn’t seem fully awake, so Poe refrains from explaining.

 

“Good evening, Finn,” Dr. Kalonia bustles in, quickly noting his numbers on a datapad.  “Glad to see you awake.  I’ve been looking forward to actually meeting you after hearing Poe talk about you so much.”

 

“Yeah?” Finn’s voice is soft but more focused.  “Getting the impression he does that a lot.”

 

Poe smothers a laugh, sitting back in his chair. “Yeah,” he says, amused and relieved.  “Yeah, I do.”


End file.
